Kosmos

Culture, travel, fashion and culinary delights: the Kosmos pages of Lufthansa Magazin bring you interesting and useful tidbits from around the world

Pretty in Pink

The flamingo is the hippest bird of the year. The iconic gardengnome substitute now also features on shirts, hats, shoes and champagne bottles. This is possibly why Nakuru National Park in Kenya is so popular: Depending on the season, up to two million of the lanky pink birds can be spotted here.

Who else is celebrating?

Google, the Smart car, the iMac, Hong Kong International Airport and the cult film The Big Lebowski all turn 20 this year. Flying high in the charts in 1998: “Pretty Fly (For a White Guy” by The Offspring, “Frozen” by Madonna and “Big Big World” by Emilia.

Masterful model

Before they conquered Beijing in 1644, the rulers of the Qing dynasty had already created a miniature version of the Forbidden City in the country’s northeast. Although twelve times smaller, its inimitable design com­bined elements from Manchuria, Mongolia and China. In addition, the buildings that make up the Shenyang Imperial Palace, now a museum, are based on nomads’ yurts.

Reading lounge

In the past ten years, the number of visitors to Frankfurt has increased by 68 percent. In October, even more people will be arriving for the Frankfurt Book Fair. So it’s a good idea to plan ahead for your visit to this lively city: As the name suggests, the Hyatt Place Frankfurt Airport is just minutes from the airport. Its casual atmosphere makes it perfect for leaf­ing through those books you just bought.